Mayor’s second term comes to an end

In Monday night’s Irvine City Council meeting, Mayor Ernest Farmer was called upon to address a familiar issue during his last meeting in office.
The question of city boundaries was again brought up as Dwight Arvin spoke to the council against paying city taxes for his and other properties along Kirkland Avenue.
He brought with him print outs from the Secretary of State’s office about annexation laws.  If all procedures are not followed by the city, how they can tax those areas, he wondered.
“I don’t know that they weren’t,” said County Attorney Rodney Davis.  He said the statutes wouldn’t change anything because they were created after the city lines were established.
Arvin also had copies of laws pertaining to the agricultural use of the land.  He pointed out that because of regulations on farmland, there is a farm in Fayette County that is surrounded by the city, but it is not taxed as city property.
Mayor Farmer emphasized again that the current map is the only thing he has to go on.
Irvine Police Captain Adrian McKinney was present to propose to the council that the police department get the city’s fleet of police cars started on a regular maintenance schedule.  He said he and other officers could do some of the work themselves and save the department money.  He also asked the city to invest in a car lift, oil drain and other equipment needed to service the vehicles.  McKinney estimated that the department could save enough to pay for the equipment within a couple of years.
Farmer suggested McKinney meet with Councilman Bill Arthur to research the best prices for the equipment.
Mayor Farmer read a resolution honoring Clarence D. Noland, former State Representative, who passed away recently.
Farmer also said he had consulted with a surveyor about the Margaret Durbin property, who said it would be pointless to do another survey because Durbin’s property does not touch city boundaries anywhere.
The council voted not to do a survey based on the professional judgment of the surveyor and agreed that the current tax bill stands.
Police Chief Brad Smith said El Ranchito has been issued a state-level license to serve liquor by the drink. He said he’s been working with the Mexican restaurant to complete application for a license to sell at the local level.
“I see no reason to deny them a city license,” he said.
Mayor Farmer announced that city hall will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.  He reminded that taxes need to be paid before the end of the year to avoid penalty.
As the meeting concluded, Farmer thanked each council member for the part they played in working with him in city government.
In his final address to the council, he spoke of the moving of businesses from downtown.
“We can blame politicians,” he said, “but customers keep businesses open.”
“My advice to you,” Farmer added, “is to expand your boundaries.”